Large library docking identifies positive allosteric modulators of the calcium-sensing receptor

Science. 2024 Sep 20;385(6715):eado1868. doi: 10.1126/science.ado1868. Epub 2024 Sep 20.

Abstract

Positive allosteric modulator (PAM) drugs enhance the activation of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) and suppress parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. Unfortunately, these hyperparathyroidism-treating drugs can induce hypocalcemia and arrhythmias. Seeking improved modulators, we docked libraries of 2.7 million and 1.2 billion molecules against the CaSR structure. The billion-molecule docking found PAMs with a 2.7-fold higher hit rate than the million-molecule library, with hits up to 37-fold more potent. Structure-based optimization led to nanomolar leads. In ex vivo organ assays, one of these PAMs was 100-fold more potent than the standard of care, cinacalcet, and reduced serum PTH levels in mice without the hypocalcemia typical of CaSR drugs. As determined from cryo-electron microscopy structures, the PAMs identified here promote CaSR conformations that more closely resemble the activated state than those induced by the established drugs.

MeSH terms

  • Allosteric Regulation
  • Animals
  • Calcimimetic Agents* / chemistry
  • Calcimimetic Agents* / pharmacokinetics
  • Calcimimetic Agents* / pharmacology
  • Cinacalcet / pharmacokinetics
  • Cinacalcet / pharmacology
  • Cryoelectron Microscopy*
  • Drug Discovery*
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Molecular Docking Simulation*
  • Parathyroid Hormone* / metabolism
  • Protein Conformation
  • Receptors, Calcium-Sensing* / agonists
  • Receptors, Calcium-Sensing* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Receptors, Calcium-Sensing* / chemistry
  • Small Molecule Libraries* / chemistry
  • Small Molecule Libraries* / pharmacology

Substances

  • Cinacalcet
  • Parathyroid Hormone
  • Receptors, Calcium-Sensing
  • Small Molecule Libraries
  • Calcimimetic Agents